Golf club cart



Ap l l951.v r I G. 1.v MILLS 2,547,829

GOLF CLUB CART Filed Dec. 13, 1947 Jam ar&@ W(

,4 T TORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB CART George I. Mills, Springfield, Mo. Application December 13, 1947, Serial No. 791,580

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to transporting means or carriers for carrying golf clubs and the like, and aims to provide a novel and improved form of structure adapted for conveniently transporting such golf equipment during the playing of a course. 7

Accordingly one object of the invention is to devise a carrier or transporting means of this type in which the golf clubs are supported in suitably separated relation as well as in convenient position for choice and selection of the desired club by the player as required for use in the course of the game.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved holding means particularly adapted for supporting the clubs and for facilitating the ready and convenient removal or replacement of the clubs as required.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of improved supporting means for spare golf balls, in conveniently accessible position.

It is also sought to provide a simple, light and yet sturdy and durable construction which may be economically manufactured from relatively inexpensive material.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of carrier construction which I have devised for the practical embodiment of the proposed improvements, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in front elevation illustratin a golf club carrier construction embodying the present features of improvement, with a plurality of clubs represented in supported relation by means of dotted or broken lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, indicating a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figures 3, 4, and 6 are detail sectional views, representing sections taken on the lines '3-3, 4--4, 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of Figure 1, but on a larger scale.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the improved carrier construction is illustrated as comprising a two-wheeled cart adapted to be economically constructed of suitable rod material shaped to provide an open frame adapted for the mounting of a set of transverse supporting barshaving means for retaining engagement with the upper and lower portions of the shafts of the golf clubs whereby the same are held in clamping relation to an intermediate supporting bar, together with a pair of trundle wheels for supporting such framework.

ground during the intervals when the cart is I stationary.

The two side portions of the frame provide supporting means for mounting the opposite ends I of a set of transverse or crossbar members l6 of somewhat angular cross section and having downwardly extending end projections I! which are adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear side of the framework, as by welding to the side portions 10 thereof, as indicated at 18 (see Figures 2 and 6). The end projections ll of the lower transverse bar l6 serve to journal (as illustrated in Figure 2) the transverse portion of a bail member 20, the legs of which have their lower free ends out-turned to provide journals 22 for a pair of supporting wheels 24 of an appropriate type for easy trundling action. Each of the leg portions of the bail member 29 is provided with an adjustable clip element 26 which is connected by a pivotal link 28 to a pivot 30 provided in the corresponding end projection ll of the intermediate bar member it (Figure 4), whereby the angle of the bail and wheel assembly may be conveniently adjusted, as maybe required.

The upper and lower cross bar members [6 are designed to carrymeans for detachable hooking engagement with the shafts of the golf clubs (represented by the dotted lines 32) and retain the same in clamped or gripped relation with the intermediate cross bar member [6, the lower cross bar being therefore arranged at an appropriate height for supporting the lower ends of the clubs at an ample distance above the ground, as represented in Figures 1 and 2.

For effecting detachable hooking engagement with the club shafts, the upper and lower cross bars [6 are each provided with a set of double and oppositely projecting hooks; and conveniently each pair of hooks may be constructed of a single piece of wire material 34 having its intermediate portion rigidly secured, as by welding, to the top face of the cross bar and with the ends of the wire bent to form oppositely projecting hooks 33 extending approximately flush with said top face of the bar and with the free ends of the hooks spaced far enough away from the bar to permit the ready insertion of a club shaft. Preferably, the hooks are fitted with rubber sleeves 38 or the like for frictional engagement Without danger of marring or otherwise tending todamage the finish of the clubs. The pairs of hooks are also spaced apart sufiiciently to offer ample clearance for the manipulation of the clubs into and out of engagement with the hooks without interference with each other.

To the intermediate cross bar I6 is attached. as by screws 40, a cross piece or brace member 42, the opposite front and rear edges of which are formed by :grooves 44 for accommodating inserts of rubber or equivalent resilient material 46, designed to serve as counterbearing strips for retaining engagement with the club shafts when the upper and lower portions thereof are manipulated into engagement with the hook elements 36 of the upper and lower cross bars 16, as represented in Figures 1 and 2. For this purpose the inserted strips 46 of resilient material are of sufficient width to project out past the margins of the cross piece 42, and the latter is cut away to form scallops 48 opposite the several pairs of hook elements 36, to afford a sufiicient degree of resilient action in embracing the club shafts when the latter are inserted into supported position.

By means of the foregoing construction it will be seen that the clubs may be readily and conveniently applied into supported relation to the carrier by simply inserting the lower portion of the club shaft 32 into hooking engagement with one of the hooks 36 of the lower cross bar 16, then pressing the shaft against the resilient strip 46 of the intermediate cross bar I6 while engaging the upper portion of the shaft into hooked relation to the corresponding hook 36 of the upper cross bar [6. For facilitating this operation it will be noted that the sets of hooks carried by said upper and lower cross bars 16 project in opposite directions, at both the front and rear of the carrier, thus presenting the open sides of the upper hooks in proper position for admitting the upper portions of the clubs, the manipulation of which, after engaging the resilient piece 43, involves a movement in an .opposite direction from that required for insertion into the lower hook, so that the completion of the operation effects asecure hooking engagement simultaneously with both the upper and lower hooking means.

The supporting means provided at both the front and rear of the carrier are of course identical and it will be apparent that the improved construction provides a club engaging and .supporting means which not only maintains the clubs in desirably separated relation, but also facilitates the selection of any club desired for use, and the individually separated mounting of the clubs is designed to keep the set of clubs all r in predetermined position so that the player knows at all times the exact position of each club of his set. It is also pointed out that improved means for supporting the clubs, as provided in the present construction, do not require any offset relationship of the clubs or their handle portions at the front and rear of the carrier, and the same may be manipulated into and out of place without any interference whatever with adjoining clubs. The clubs are moreover carried in substantially evenly balanced relation over the axis of the supporting frame and wheel, so that the same may be conveniently transported from place to place. One improved feature of the present construction is the improved means .for retaining engagement with the club shafts which not only provides an effective securing or holding action, but also is adapted to guard against any scratching or marring of the clubs,

as where the same are pushed into engagement with spring clamping fingers or the like, the present construction eliminating any sliding gripping action for effecting such retaining engagement and without any sacrifice of the ease or convenience in the manipulation of the clubs for either removing or replacing the same.

Another feature of the improved carrier construction consists in providing holding means for spare golf balls, which comprises ball retaining elements 50 of spring wire construction secured by screws 52 or the like to the upper face of the intermediate cross bar 16, as illustrated in Figure 2. Each of the retaining elements 50 is formed to provide a ring-shaped contour 54 presented in spaced parallel relation to the upper face of the bar 16, and thus is adapted to yield to permit insertion of a ball 56 into position beneath said ring portion and thereby grip the ball and retain the same in supported relation to the bar l6 as shown.

From the foregoing, it will therefore be apparent that I have provided a most practical and efficient construction for the carrying out of all the desired objects of my invention, and that the same is of an extremely simple character comprising a minimum number of parts which may be economically assembled, and is adapted to withstand rough usage such as is ordinarily incurred in the handling .of such equipment. While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred mode or construction for the embodiment of the proposed improvements, I desire to be understood .as expressly reserving the right to make whatever changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A golf club carrying and transporting appliance, comprising an upwardly extending supporting frame provided with upper and lower transverse bars and an intermediate bar extending transversely between said first bars, and provided with resilient edge pieces along both its front and rear edges, and a set of hook elements provided with resilient cushioning means and carried by each of said first bars at both the front and rear of said frame in position for effecting releasable retaining engagement with the individual golf clubs and maintaining the shafts of said clubs in frictional retaining engagement with the resilient front and rear edge pieces of said intermediate bar, said upper and lower sets of hook elements being positioned to locate the open sides of their hook portions in oppositely facing relation.

GEORGE I. MILLS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,418,093 Parmater May 30, 1922 1,570,500 Kennedy Jan. 19, 1926 1,625,856 Judd Apr. 26, 1927 1,731,588 Patterson Oct. 15, 1929 2,070,254 Burgner Feb. 9, 1937 2,267,226 White .Dec. 23, 1941 2,411,965 Hartung Dec. 3, 1946 2,419,175 Spohrer Apr. 15, 1947 2, 3 ,893 Mall Feb. 10, 1948 2,465,096 Hunt Mar. 22, 1949 

